Three good reasons” “

To bring Europe closer to citizens; to overcome the “democratic deficit”, perennial weak point of the Community experience; and to prevent the abstention of electors called to vote in June to renew the European Parliament: three good reasons that have urged the EU to multiply its efforts and services to keep Europeans informed and raise their awareness of the process of integration and imminent enlargement. COUNTERS, VISITORS’ SERVICE, PUBLICATIONS. The task of informing citizens about Community events and policies is assigned to the Commission and Parliament. The former already has a tradition that includes the creation of “counters” open to the public, publications of every kind reserved for the various age groups and social categories, and educational material for schools. For its part the European Parliament (EP), seat of the “peoples’ representation”, each year welcomes tens of thousands of visitors, groups and especially students, who, through the “visitors’ service”, come into direct contact with the work of the Assembly. The EP, like the Commission, also has decentralized offices to disseminate knowledge of the decisions taken by the EU institutions at the national or regional level. This year the EP, in view of the elections on 10-13 June, has even set up a taskforce (unfortunately endowed with little funds) with the task of promoting interest among electors. Ever since the first elections by direct suffrage to the EP (1979), the percentage of voters has in fact alarmingly decreased: hence the “declaration of war” on abstentionism, with the launch of various proposals – conferences, promotional events, slogans, websites, freephone numbers, TV commercials – under the blanket name “Europe at your door”. WATCHWORD: “ONGOING ANIMATION”. Three national Information Centres, established in Paris, Lisbon and Paris in cooperation with the national authorities, are now in operation in the EU. “Ongoing animation” is the watchword of these centres. “Informing citizens, replying to the requests for information from a specialized public, and creating a centre of formation and animation on Europe: these are the objectives of the Information Centres as defined by the Commission. “They enable the public to consult the documentation on all the spheres of activity in the EU and represent centres of diffusion and animation for tens of thousands of annual visitors”. Not always familiar to the public at large, the national Centres ought to have a more widespread presence on EU territory. They are, however, backed up by the Europe Info-Points set up in no less than 140 cities of the 15 member states; their number will grow with the enlargement of the EU to 25 members. They are intended to be “at the service both of citizens, members of associations, young people and teachers who are seeking general documentation, and professionals seeking more specific information”. The Europe Info-Points (EIP), established in 1991, distribute gratis, or make available for consultation, a huge range of documentation on EU institutions and policies, on specific themes such as the euro or student exchanges and foreign visits for young people: pamphlets, official gazettes, publicity material, videocassettes, access to EU websites and the Europe By Satellite (EBS) programme. FROM CALL CENTRES TO INTERNET SITES. Apart from these, the EU promotes other facilities: for example the 129 rural information and animation Centres, the 544 European Documentation Centres present in universities and colleges in the EU and in third countries, and the national offices representing the EP and Commission present in each capital and in other leading cities of the 25 (Munich, Barcelona, Marseilles, Strasbourg, Milan, Edinburgh). IT facilities are also assuming growing importance, from cd-roms to websites. Of these, apart from the official portal www.europa.eu.int, the freephone service 00 800 67891011, called “Europe Direct”, is enjoying considerable success. The lines are open from Monday to Friday, from 9.00 to 18.30, and can be used for enquiries for any kind of information relating to the life of the Union. More specialized services also exist: the Euroinfo Centres for businesses; Eurocounters to protect the interests of consumers; while a group of speakers, called “Team Europe”, coordinated by the Commission, is available to bring the mission and the message of the process of European integration to every corner of the Union.